Florida man catches 87 invasive pythons in a month, awarded $1K through state incentive system

New York Post

a day ago

A Florida man with near-unmatched gumption for slaying snakes was awarded $1,000 through a new state incentive system for capturing a staggering 87 invasive pythons in just one month.
Aaron Mann clinched the monthly prize as part of South Florida Water Management District's Python Elimination Program, which encourages skilled Sunshine State residents to capture and kill as many of its invasive Burmese pythons as possible.
3 Aaron Mann won $1,000 for capturing the most Burmese pythons in the state in July.
SFWMD
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Mann posed victoriously with one of his bounties alongside a hunting partner, draping the monstrous reptile over both their shoulders while reveling in their kill count — and impending reward.
In early 2025, the program introduced a monetary award that will be doled out to the daredevils with the highest count each month.
The Sunshine State already sponsors a series of other events aimed at tapering the python population bit by bit, including the annual Florida Python Challenge, which saw a slew of participants only wipe out 200 of the reptiles over the 10-day hunt last year — a mere fraction of Mann's bounty.
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3 Florida also offers other incentives, including by-the-foot compensation for pythons.
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Last year's Challenge winner only removed 20 pythons, but brought home a $10,000 reward.
Additionally, specialized python removal agents are paid $50 for each snake they secure, with an extra $25 thrown in for every foot on snakes stretching longer than the average 4 feet.
In 2023, a 19-foot python was captured in Florida, which would be worth $425 under the new incentive programs.
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The state also introduced a tracking program using cartoonish robot rabbits that would alert the SFWMD when it spots a python. From there, officials would dispatch someone to remove the snake — likely one of the removal agents who would additionally be compensated for their efforts.
3 The Burmese python is a non native, invasive species in Florida.
South Florida Water Management District
The Burmese pythons have roamed Florida's Everglades since the 1990s, despite being a non native species to the US. Their population has only grown, and officials have no idea what the exact count could be by now.
Roughly 19,000 have been removed from the Everglades since 2000, according to Fox Weather Service.